Apparatus for preventing explosions of volatile liquids



Dec. 28, 1943. A, H, LANSER APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING EXPLOSIONS 0F VOLATILE LIQUIDS Filed Dec. 4, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BYAZERED HENRI ZA/vsm ATTO NEY Dec. '28, 1943. A. H. LANSER 2,338,044

APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING EXPLOSIONS OF VOLATILE LIQUIDS' Filed Dec. 4, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 1 w 43 41 42 i w r INVENTOR ,QLFREO fA/R/ Lp/VJFR Patented Dec. 28, 1943 APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING EXPLOSIONS OF VOLA'IILE LIQUIDS Alfred Henri Lanser, New York, N. Y.

Application December 4, 1940, Serial No. 368,516 In France March 4, 1940 3 Claims.

This invention relates, in general, to preventing explosions in containers for volatile organic liquids and, in particular, to a process and apparatus for preventing the explosions in gasoline tanks and similar containers, or military cars, airplanes, combat tanks and the like.

Particularly in the case of airplanes, it often happens that when the tanks containing gasoline are punctured by incendiary bullets and such bullets penetrate the tanks, an explosion takes place. Such explosions are caused by incendiary bullets when the space above the surface of the gasoline in the tanks is filled with a mixture of air and gasoline vapor in such proportions, or nearly so, to form an explosive mixture.

In normal flight, provided there remains some gasoline in the-tank, the air in the tank is so saturated with gasoline that the mixture is nonexplosive. I

When the airplane dives from a certain level, due to the difference in the atmospheric pressure, there is an inrush of fresh air in the tank. In this case, the inrush of fresh air will be of a volume proportional to the difference in the level from which the diving started and the level where the plane will be at the end of this dive, and to the volume of gasoline already pumped from the tank.

For instance, if the plane dives from say 24,000 feet to some 2,000 feet and the capacity of the tank is 300 gallons and there remains only 100 gallons of gasoline in the tank, in such case about 135 gallons of fresh air will enter the gasoline tank at that time, and there will be an explosive mixture in the tank for a period of several minutes.

The more rapid the divingis, the more explosive and dangerous is the mixture and this is the usual course of events of War planes which have to maneuver in this way during aerial combats or bombardments. For instance, in normal flight such volume of air intake may be five gallons per minute whereas in rapid diving the air intake may be one hundred gallons per minute. It is also a fully proven fact that the air in an empty or nearly empty gasoline tank is highly explosive. This is the reason why a gasoline tank empty or nearly empty invariably explodes when pierced by incendiary bullets.

The invention has for its general object to maintain the proportion of airand organic vapor in the mixture as far as possible outside the explosive proportions.

It is a specific object of the invention to prevent the explosion of containers of volatile organic liquids when such containers are punctured as by incendiary bullets.

It is-another specific object of the invention to provide a means for automatically maintaining the proportion of air and gasoline vapor outside the explosive proportions in gasoline containers of moving vehicles, such as airplanes, tanks, automobiles and the like.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

According to the present invention the explosions in containers for volatile organic liquids are prevented by supersaturating the airspace above the liquid in such containers with vapor of the organic liquids so that the proportion of air and organic vapor lies outside the explosive proportion. The process of the invention is capable of being carried out by means comprising, in general, the combination of a container for organic liquids, means for vaporizing said liquid and for admixing the vaporized liquid with air and means for introducing the mixture of vapor and air into the space above the liquid in the container.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should behad to the accompanying drawings, in which: i

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of one embodiment of the apparatus of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view, partly in section, of the device of Fig. 1, taken at an angle of degrees to that of Fig. 1, the device being turned on its side;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view, in section, of an element of the device of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 5 represents the combination of a tank with the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 illustrates the disposition of the apparatus of Fig. 5 in the airplane; and

Fig. 7 is another embodiment of the apparatus of the invention.

The process of the present invention is adapted for usein preventing explosions in containers of all kinds which are employed for the storage or transportation of volatile organic liquids whose vapors in admixture with air form explosive compositions. For example, the invention is applicable for stationary containers, such as oil reservoirs, gasoline tanks, and containers for high octane airplane gasoline. -More particularly, the invention is applicable to preventing explosions in containers used for transporting gasoline and By way of illustrating, but not by way of limiting the invention, there will be described a device which is particularly adapted for use in combination with gasoline containers in airplanes.

In the now preferred embodiment, the air saturator comprises a container III having a flared rim II closed by a cover I2 seated on a gasket I3 and fastened to the rim II by bolts I4. Passing through the cover I2 is a Y-shaped conduit designated as I5, one arm being a pipe I6 open at one end to the air and threaded into a base block II, the other arm comprising a pipe I8, one end thereof being connected by a suitable means (not shown) to a gasoline tank and the other end threaded into the block I1. Inside the block H, the pipe I8 communicates with a divided channel comprising a horizontal section I9 closed at one end by a one-way valve comprising a disc 20 held in position by a spring 2|, the spring being seated in a perforated cup 22 which communicates with the channel 23 of the pipe I6. The second channel 24 of the pipe I8 extends downward through the block II.

The block I1 is threaded to a pipe 25 which communicates to the interior of the container I through a second pipe 26, the lower end of which is closed by a one-way valve comprising a disc 21 held in position by a spring 28 seated in a perforated cup 29 communicating with the interior of the container III. Inside the container and integrally mounted on the pipe 25 is a flared cup 30, the upper rim of which is seated against the cover I2. The block I1 is adapted to be rotatable with respect to the pipe 25 and the cup 30.

At the base of the tube 26 there is aflixed a circular plate 3| having a plurality of circular grooves 32 on its undersurface, which surface is positioned adjacent but not in contact with the base of the container III. From a point adjacent the edge-0f the disc 3| a conduit 33 leads to a venturi 34 which comprises a tube 35 having a constricted point adjacent the open end 36, the walls of the tube at the constricted point being perforated and communicating with a ring 31 which surrounds the tube 35 and communicates with the conduit 35 as shown in Fig. 4. The opposite end 38 of the venturi surrounds the tube 25 and communicates with the passage 24 and the pipe I8. A ring float 39 surrounds the tube 26 and is fixed to a lever 46 which operates the needle 4| and closes the openin in tube 42, the channel of said tube passing through the cover I2 and communicating through pipe 43 with the gasoline tank at a point which will be normally below the level of the gasoline contained in the tank.

In positioning the saturator, above described, in combination with a stationary gasoline tank, the pipe I8 of the saturator is connected so as to communicate with the top 50 of the tank 5| as shown in Fig. 5, while the tube 43 communicates with the interior of the tank at a point which will be normally below the level of the fluid in the tank. So long as the air inlet pipe I6 is positioned outside of the tank, the saturator itself may be positioned inside or outside the tank 5 I.

In positioning the saturator in combination with a gasoline container on a movin vehicle, such as an armored automobile, military tank or the like, the arrangement just described and shown in Fig. 5 is satisfactory.

In positioning the saturator in combination with a gasoline container of an aeroplane or dirigible, it is essential that the saturator be so placed that the conduit 33 leading from the base of the container III to th venturi 34 shall be aligned in the direction of movement of the aeroplane or dirigible, such position being illustrated in Fig. 6. In other words, if thetank in Fig. 5 be considered as positioned in an aeroplane moving in the direction of the arrow A, the saturator will then be in the proper position. In the operation of a saturator of the type illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive of the drawings, when the saturator is positioned with respect to the tank a shown in Fig. 5, the fluid in the tank will flow through the conduit 43 and fill up the container I I] until the float 39 is brought to the position shown in Fig. 1 whereupon the float-will close the needle valve 4| and prevent the entry of any further fluid into the container I0. Air enters the saturator through the tube I6, pipes 25 and 26 and escapes into the fluid through the oneway valve at the base of the tube 26. This valve prevents the fluid in the container I0 from flowing back into the air line. The air released under the plate 3| will be broken into a multiplicity of small bubbles by reason of the grooves 32 on the undersurface of the Plate 3|, the air gradually passing through the fluid and into the open end 36 of the venturi 34. In stationary installations in vehicles of the land type, such as automobiles and tanks, the quantity of air passing through the saturator is relatively small and will therefore become completely saturated by its passage through the volume of fluid contained in the container Ill. Air thus saturated with the vapors oi the fluid passes from the venturi into the channel 24 and through pipe I8 into the container 5| where it saturates the air above the fluid, the saturation bein sufiicient to prevent explosion in the container 5|. When the saturator is employed in aeroplanes and dirigibles, the

resulting drop in atmospheric pressure outside the tank 5| will cause air and vapor to flow from the tank to the atmosphere by passing through the pipe I8, the channel I9 through the one-way valve and into the air pipe I6. Thus the pressure inside and outside the container 5| will be equalized.

When the saturator, above described, is used in aeroplanes and the aeroplane performs a rapid dive, the saturator is positioned as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. During the dive, the intake of air into the tank will be very rapid in order to compensate the d fierence between the atmospheric pressures on the outside and the inside of the tank. Since the terminal partof the conduit 33 is directed toward the front part of the aeroplane in the direction of flight, the great volume of air streaming through the venturi will cause an aspiration of the fluid through the conduit 33 from which it will be atomized through the perforations in the constricted portions of the tube 35 of the venturi. Thus. the large volume of air passing through the venturi is forcibly saturated with the fluid to such a point that the proportion of the vaporized fluid in the air is above that which will permit an explosion.

From the above description, it is apparent that the function of the saturator is two-fold. The air is saturated by'absorption and by aspiration or atomization. These two functions may be performed by separated means, if desired.

In another embodiment of the apparatus, a liquid vaporizer such as a spray or atomizer is positioned in the organic liquid container so that the organic liquid issprayed or atomized in the air space above the liquid until the proportions of vapor and air are above the explosive proportions. For example, a vaporizer of conventional type (not shown) is installed in the upper part of a tank, such as tank Liquid from the container can be pumped to the vaporizer by means of the same pump which feeds the gasoline to the motor of the airplane.

In another embodiment, air is injected into the body of the organic liquid held in the container 5| and allowed to bubble upwards through the liquid, thus saturating the air above the liquid with the vapor of the liquid. For example, a small tube can be inserted in a tank such as tank 5| adjacent the bottom thereof and air or an inert gas can be injected into the liquid by means of an air pump of conventional type.

In still another embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, the organic liquid is caused to saturate a spongy, porous or comminuted material which is placed so that the air which occuwill have come into contact with such spongy,

porous or comminuted material. For example, as

shown in Fig. 5, the tank 5| is lined on the sides and top with a layer 52 of felt. Due to capillary action and the movement of the liquid in' the tank, the felt will be saturated with the liquid at all times and thus bring the air in the space above the liquid to a saturation point with respect to the liquid. Alternatively, the spongy, porous or comminuted material may be inserted in the airpies the space above the liquid in the container V V It is to be understood that the device for sat- 1. Apparatus for preventing explosions in a closed container having a quantity of a volatile organic liquid therein and a free air space above said liquid, comprising, the combination of, a closed vessel positioned outside of said liquid container and having a quantity of said liquid therein, means for removing the liquid from the container to be-protected and for introducing it into 4 said mixture of vapor and air into the chamber in the air space above the liquid in said principal container, said conduit comprising a venturi which functions as an aspirator when said vessel isrotated through an arc of degrees.

2. An apparatus for preventing explosions in a closed container having a quantity of volatile organic liquid therein and a free air space above said liquid, comprising, the combination of, a closed vessel positioned outside of said liquid container and having a quantity of said liquid therein, a conduit for conveying liquid from said container to said vessel and having a one-way valve therein, a constant level float in said vessel arranged to close said valve when the float is elevated, an air intake disposed to introduce air below the level of liquid in said vessel whereby a mixture of vaporized liquid and air is formed, and a conduit for introducing the mixture of vapor and air into the container in the air space to introduce air below the level of-the liquid in said vessel when the vessel is substantially horizontal whereby a mixture of vaporized liquid and air is formed, a conduit for introducing the mixture of vapor and air into the oil container in the air space above the liquid in said container, said vessel containing an aspirator having its open end disposed toward the rear of said aircraft, and a liquid conduit extending downward and forwardly in the liquid in said vessel whereby, when the vessel is tilted forward when the aircraft is executing a downward movement, the air flowing through said aspirator will cause a vaporization of the liquid in said vessel.

- ALFRED HENRI LANSER. 

